Re: Bert's 1st Zed Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post pictures of your car and discuss it here. One car per thread, and keep it on-topic, please!
bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
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  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: Bert's 1st Zed Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

EDIT: This is a journal detailing how I first fell in Love with the BMW Z3 - After 4 years of ownership the joy has been passed onto another forum member but I hope you enjoy reading.

Ok.... so its has been a while getting round to do this but hopefully it will be interesting and give some people some ideas, it is still work in progress so will be updated as and when I can - everyone has been really helpful on here but I particularly want to thank Gookah and Southernboy who have given me loads of useful advise already.... Also, it will be good for me because my Zed had already had some modifications done to it when I bought it so I would appreciate it if people can advise what is changed and what is original please. It also has some teething issues which I have got used to but I would appreciate any help or advise on fixing....

18 months ago I changed my job and ended up working on the south coast in Gosport. Initially I took my main car (3.0L Audi A5 Quattro) down there to use Monday to Friday and use my motorbike (and the missus' car) at the weekend when back in Manchester.... Anyway, after a month of riding daily and enduring the beautiful Manchester drizzle I changed my plans and decided I would get myself a cheap little run around for down south and bring my A5 back up to Manchester. I had a limited budget so I figured that it would be best to get something that had pretty much fully depreciated so that I could get my money back in 12/24 months when my south coast contract finished.... Having looked on auto-trader at various (IMO) classic cars (Golf GTI, MX5, Capri) I decided that I was going to get a Z3 - I had always had a soft spot for them and with there only being me using it there was no need for 4 seats - plus, being on the south coast, a convertible seemed like a good idea... Honestly it was nothing to do with turning 40!

So, having no knowledge of the cars themselves, various models, issues or anything :dunce: I started trawling through Auto-trader and ebay I managed to narrow it down to half a dozen local to Gosport. If I had known then what I know now I would have probably have held out for a bigger engine and maybe one with less mileage (and less "loveable" traits) but I didn't so eventually I chose a 1999 2.0L facelift version in Titan Silver... Why? Well because it was shiny - had red interior with a chrome center which was different from the others on my shortlist, and the wheels "looked cool"... all these things I assumed would give it an edge when I came to sell it on in 12 months.... Fast forward 18 months, I have changed contracts and I now work mainly from home but at the moment I have no intention of selling it - to the point where we are currently having the front lawn removed and the drive extended so it can fit on the drive!!

This was the car when I first bought it.... If anyone recognises it let me know...

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So.... It had 138,000 miles on the clock (now 147K)... the previous owner had put the M sport steering wheel and gear stick on it. He said it had already been lowered and had the BBS(?) wheels on it when he got it which are 17" all round (rear continental & fronts Pirelli which may explain the tramlining!). I have no idea how much it has been lowered, if the wheels have any spacers on them or if anything has been done to the brakes - looking at them I don't think so - they seem to be standard when compared to images of new brake parts I have seen online, although the calipers on the rear have been painted (one Red and one Blue... :shrug ). There are no badges on the car apart from the standard BMW badges, not sure if this is standard or they have been removed later, and I have also noticed since I bought it that there is no tango in the lights - apart from the OEM headlights all the other lights are clear, including the 3rd brake light - again I am not sure if it was bought like this from the showroom or whether it has been altered later? The standard red leather seats are from new, as I assume is the center chrome console? It has a manual roof and not much else, only the ASC button in the center console.

So, what was / is wrong with it; what has been done and what is still to do? Well firstly, having agreed a price with the seller he took it for the MOT as agreed. It passed with only a couple of advisories but when I went to pick it up the ABS lights were on - I was told that it was a loose connection on the green wheel sensor clip (verified by looking online at what was retrospectively probably this site) but enabled me to knock down the price by another £100 so I decided it would be fine....

Having picked up the car I drove it back to Manchester for the weekend to give it a good run but my smile disappeared when it developed an intermediate misfire around the M25! After that I noticed that when stationary in traffic the oil light flickers on like it is going to stall - so, having thought I had bought a duffer I booked it in with BMTEC in Manchester for a look over. They gave it a service, managed to fix the misfire quite easily by replacing a duff coil pack but were unable to reproduce the oil light flickering fault. They also said that on the whole there was nothing wrong with the car, there was (and still is) a very slight misting on the rear diff but it was safe and in good condition; as I was still only planning to have to keep it 12 months I drove off happy.

So from that start what is still wrong? Well the misting on the diff casing is still there but will be sorted out shortly when I take it to the garage, it doesn't drip or anything and all the advise I have had from various mechanics is that it is nothing to worry about. The flickering oil light still happens when the car is stuck for a long time in traffic. It doesn't overheat or anything just flickers the oil light - has anyone any ideas what this can be? Finally, the car itself is a little bit awkward to drive in the fact that you have to give it quite a bit of accelerator before it revs and you can pull off. I think this is probably a result of a stretched throttle cable(?) and is another job I have planned for this winter. Again, thoughts welcome....

Ok, so having listed the issues above and accepted them I started to use it regularly during the week and through looking on this site started to get some ideas on things to do... first of all I replaced the stereo and got one which was hands free and could stream music wirelessly from my iphone or ipod. While the stereo was out I also took the chance to replace the heater control bulbs which I noticed had all gone.

After a few months the car developed poor running but this was easily identified as a split in the air pipe - no pictures of it sorry but I think it is a common problem and meant that the mixture of air to petrol was not correct resulting in the poor running. While fixing this I also changed the air filter, I looked at a few different ones, including K&N (which I have on the A5) but after getting advise from a friend who races BMW E30's I got the BMC one.
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Next it was time to change the grills... I got these off ebay brand new, I prefer these to the colour coded versions.
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I also changed the front grills and the headlights to these aftermarket ones which give it a better, cleaner look I think. I also changed the bulbs in the sidelights to bright white bulbs off ebay
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Finally from an exterior point of view I bought a hardtop, stand and fitting kit - actually the truth is I purchased 2 of them - too long a story for this journal, but I have fitted the kit and the hardtop and had it on and off a few times without any problems. This is how the car looks externally at the moment, I think the hardtop really changes the appearance of it.
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I won't bore people with the fitting of the hardtop kit, there are plenty of instructions on here and if anyone needs advise I am happy to give it. However, I will share my experience of finding the "hidden/mistery" loom for connecting the heated rear window. I managed to source an original relay for the HRW off ebay and bought the HRW button (the facelift one) direct from BMW and fitted that, the location of that end of the loom was as described previously on many threads - behind the rear of the center console, taped down to the bottom metal frame behind where the rear blanking plates are along with what I assume is also the connection for the electric hardtop button, but after looking at numerous threads on here I remained baffled as to where the other end of the HRW loom was. I took my passenger seat out, removed the trim down the side and pulled the carpet back behind the passenger seat but couldn't see any connector. I finally found it taped to the rest of the wires but it was behind the passenger roll hoop under the cardboard type carpet under the roof.

I have a number of other items and changes that I am looking to add and fit which have been in the garage for a while and at the start of Jan 2014 whilst looking for the loom above, I inadvertently got carried away and kept removing screws until I ended up removing quite a lot of the interior of the car.... opps !!

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I noticed during all this that my Zed has been fitted with the (Optional?) HK subwoofer where some people have a storage box and has also had some additional after market speakers fitted
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As I mentioned above, I have a number of things and changes I am looking to make and so stripping out the interior wasn't an issue as it is required for the changes I have, or should I say had planned... but, as with all best laid plans they change. After unsuccessfully searching and waiting for ages for a set of M or Sport seats to come up for sale I decided to refurbish my standard ones. Initially my plan was to remove the standard seats and give them a touch up with some Tanin Red scuffmaster; replace the seatbelt guide on the passenger seat which has broken and, after my airbag light came on in September, check and fix the wiring for the pre-tensioner. On top of these common jobs, I was going to raise the front of them for a more comfortable seating position and I also bought a set of retro heat pads which I was going to fit to the seats while I had them out.

However my seats had only been out for 2 days when a set of red and black heated sport seats came up on ebay :head: I think they call it sod's law!! Anyway, they were nice and cheap so I snapped them up. They need cleaning and the drivers bolster is split and needs repairing so they are currently at the trimmers but here they are in their current condition.

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Not sure what I am now going to do with my standard seats - There is nothing actually wrong with them so I think I will still refurbish them and fit the heated seat pads and then see if anyone wants a set of perfect heated tanin red seats.

One of the other modifications I had bought a while back was a set extended leather hockey sticks for the center console. I have fitted these now while the center console is out and will add pictures later when it is all put back together. Obviously with these fitted I have now decided that I want extended leather on the dash to match - luckily Southernboy has just changed his car and had some for sale. Unluckily someone else beat me to them :head: :head: However, the next day this came up on ebay and changed all my plans again....
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Having had the dash delivered, it isn't in as good a condition as I had initially thought, the red parts have a number of scratches that will need to be filled and given the scuffmaster treatment to make them tanin red again. On top of that, the drivers vent and piping underneath is missing but its a start - this of course means that I now need to go back out to the Zed and remove my standard dash which also wasn't in the original plan !!

With refurbishment of my "new" dash now on the cards I have decided I might as well go the whole hog and have the extended leather made up and fitted to match my new hockey sticks. As Southernboy is currently having some made up for his new zed, I have got his trimmer to make me a set up as well so it will be all red and black to match my new seats and existing door cards. As with everything though, its not that simple of course and for extended leather to go on, vinyl must come off!! So, with a dremmel, a drill, 3 screwdrivers, 2 wall paper scrapers, a hairdryer, a carving knife and 2 days hard work, I have managed to create the following..... the missus is SOOOOOOOO pleased !
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Well that's it for the last 18 months up to today..... The next thing to do (after tidying up!) is to clean all the bits in the bath (and then clean the bath!) and then wait for the postal strike in South Africa to end so I can try and fit my new leather to my new dash. I will post further pics and updates as and when
Last edited by bertiejaffa on Tue 26 Apr, 2016 10:09, edited 8 times in total.
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Z3cade
Joined: Sat 09 Jan, 2010 18:18
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  M roadster S50
Location: Peterborough

Re: Bert's Journal

Post by Z3cade »

:shock: ( is that really your sitting room ) !!

Good progress, it's looking good! :wink:
///M Roadster - Evolve Stage 3
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Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Bert's Journal

Post by Del »

Blimey - you've gone from wanting a temporary run-a-round to catching the full blown Z bug :D Just a guess on your intermittent rough running when hot - something wrong with the crankcase ventilation system?

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... ve#p335673
bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
Posts: 1733

  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: Bert's Journal

Post by bertiejaffa »

Z3cade wrote::shock: ( is that really your sitting room ) !!

Good progress, it's looking good! :wink:
Cheers - yep, thats the living room.... do you know how cold it is in the garage :D :D
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bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
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  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: Bert's Journal

Post by bertiejaffa »

Del wrote:Blimey - you've gone from wanting a temporary run-a-round to catching the full blown Z bug :D Just a guess on your intermittent rough running when hot - something wrong with the crankcase ventilation system?

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... ve#p335673

Yep - I love it... the missus isn't too keen though, she doesn't like the issue with the accelerator so I might delay getting the new cable :wink:

Cheers, I've just had a look at that link and I am not sure it would be the same issue. The car itself doesn't run badly, it just has the oil light flickering when it is stuck in traffic. For example, if I am in a traffic jam for say 30 mins doing stop/start creeping along, after about 20 mins or so the oil light will flicker on when I am stationary, like as if it is going to stall. If I touch the accelerator slightly it goes off and is fine, and when I go to crawl forward again there is no issue. If the car does stall it will literally only do it the once. It starts immediately afterwards with no issue but continues with the intermittent oil light flickering until the traffic starts moving again. It is like it is overheating or something but the temp is always static at halfway. I used to think my idle was too low but if that was the case I would have thought it would be an issue every time I am stationary
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bentley-boy
Joined: Mon 28 Oct, 2013 19:35
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  blank

Re: Bert's Journal

Post by bentley-boy »

Hi, Regarding your debadged rear, if you go on Z3 Roadster sub heading and then 'Original Build History' it will tell you if it was debadged from new as was the case with my 2002 zed. The de tango'd look to the indicators I guess is a mod as my friends 2000 Z3 1.9 has orange lenses and red third brake light. The clear lensed third brake light I think was a feature initially of the Sport model but was fitted to late models along with clear indicator lenses.
Those new headlights look brill, new crystal clear headlamp 'glass' always lifts a cars appearance. What supplier did you use for them? From what you say and the photo's posted you appear to have a nice example. Would be no fun if it were perfect as you would have nothing to do, keeps you out of the wifes way . . . . but judging from that photo perhaps that isn't the case!!!
Hope you enjoy playing, best regards BB
bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
Posts: 1733

  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: Bert's Journal

Post by bertiejaffa »

Cheers BB... checked and it wasnt de-badged so must have been done retrospectively along with the lights and the lowered suspension etc... Seems that someone previously had a good idea about Z3 mods so would be interesting to know why they got rid of it.

Thanks for the comment on the lights, I really like them but was slightly disappointed with the brightness of the halos, apparently its a common issue.. I mentioned it on this thread... http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =9&t=38151 seems the best alternative would be these new headlights with retro HID halos fitted... maybe I will try in the summer. As for the purchase, they were off Ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/96-02-BMW-Z3- ... 19e81cc02a

UPTDATE for the post early about the flickering oil light, I have found a number of forums that suggest changing the oil for a thicker oil (5-40 synthetic). I would like to think it had the right oil in it when I had it serviced but you never know. Must be worth a try? having never done any servicing myself is it really as easy as it sounds?

1) drive for 5 miles,
2) change filter,
3) jack up and let oil drain out
4) replace screw and fill back up with oil (checking oil level for refilling the filter...)
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
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  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Bert's Journal

Post by Southernboy »

....Nice going Lee....You certainly have got the bug"z"....nothing wrong...as I can attest. Worth the effort...my last Z3 sold for a national if not world record for a '97 2.8...with over 200Kms.
They're known as the BMW Z3 New Individuals..... :D
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Althulas
Joined: Fri 13 Feb, 2009 00:55
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Re: Bert's Journal

Post by Althulas »

Are you going to post a picture of the bruises the wife gave you as well :)
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bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
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  M roadster S50
Location: Manchester

Re: Bert's Journal

Post by bertiejaffa »

ha ha.... yep, bruises to follow - just as soon as they allow camera's in hospital.... :D

It does seem I am destined for a few more though, seems I have a knack of doing the wrong thing when it comes to my Zed refurb.... I thought after making the (temporary) mess in the conservatory over the weekend I had better tidy up for when she got home from work... So conservatory cleaned and hoovered and a nice bunch of petrol station flowers bought I thought I was onto a winner (and I am sure the cream rug will eventually come clean :roll:)

The next thing to do was to wash & clean the multiple parts of the dash ready for re-foaming, re-colouring and re-upholstering.... It turns out that the bath was not the place to do this!! Especially as the missus was looking forward to a long soak after a hard day at work and I had used all the hot water - oops !! hmmmm it seems that since pulling the car apart and disconnecting the battery there seems to be a "whining" noise associated with my Zed :wink: Perhaps it is a lesser known BMW optional extra?? lol

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(At least I didn't light the candles and pour a glass of wine for the dash!)

Anyway, with all the parts now given the full Molton Brown treatment, this is the main body of the dash. You can see all the areas that I have had to sand down to remove the cuts and cracks in the vinyl. The next step is to get the scuffmaster out and restore the colour and scuffs back to tanin red.... (Now to scuffmaster on the dining table or not?? :D )

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And finally... its official.... the Zed is staying in the family - drive extension started today!

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Last edited by bertiejaffa on Wed 05 Feb, 2014 14:20, edited 1 time in total.
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
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Re: Bert's Journal

Post by Southernboy »

...Wow ! you're not hanging about are you...Well done Lee. You obviously have a BH that knows and loves you... :D
"Normal is overrated"
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bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
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  M roadster S50
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Re: Bert's Journal

Post by bertiejaffa »

Southernboy wrote:...Wow ! you're not hanging about are you...Well done Lee. You obviously have a BH that knows and loves you... :D
Cheers Barry, you know how it is.... once you get the bug & the vision then it just has to be done
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bertiejaffa
Joined: Fri 26 Jul, 2013 09:28
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  M roadster S50
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

UPDATE 8th July 2014

Ok so it has been a little while updating this thread, but here we go.

I have managed to refurbish the main part of the dash after giving it the loving radox treatment above, this involved sanding it down and giving it multiple coats of scuffmaster. I found that the sponge approach only worked for so long before it became patchy and streaky so I found the best thing to use was a small roller from a hardward store - basically the kind you use to apply paint behind radiators etc - this not only gives it a more universal covering but also gives that pitted roller finish which is closer to the actual OEM finish on the dash

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With that dash coming together I had to remove the rest of the original one and start to prep the car for the new dash - I used the instructions in the knowledge base to do this, they were spot on and really useful. I also got a black piece of A4 paper and sellotaped all the screws to it with a description against each group of screws for where they had come from - might be a bit anal I know but was worthwhile doing as it has taken me longer to put it back together than I expected. I wont go into detail as the instructions I mentioned are great but this was the interior of the car after I had removed everything.

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Interestingly the dust cloths you see on the floor came out of the passenger airbag hole - mine doesn't have a passenger airbag and so the previous owners had obviously used this a secondary storage compartment. Anyway with the dash out I followed Barry's lead and cleaned everything behind the dash, hoovered and cleaned the carpets thoroughly and wiped down all the heater outlets etc and then re-glued the sound proofing back to the front of the car ready for the new dash to go back in.

I also used this opportunity to fit a new accelerator cable, the cable replacement was easy (and would be pretty easy with the dash in to be honest with just the bottom trim removed) the hardest part was getting the engine end of the cable out of the throttle body, basically I couldn't see how the throttle cable is attached to the throttle body. With the throttle "flywheel" open fully I could see the ball at the end of the cable in the plastic throttle housing but couldn't see if the ball was "behind" the slot or is it "pushed in" the slot like a ball joint - I tried pulling, pushing, twisting but I couldn't get it to detach. In the end I managed to get a small mirror behind it when the throttle was open fully. Basically the little ball slots in a grove all the way around the plastic flywheel and then when it reaches the far end of the groove when the throttle is open all the way is the hole that allows the ball to fit through. Using a screw driver to push down on the ball through the slot I was able to pop the ball out. The new one then fits in from below in reverse - throttle cable now nice and tight, a slight touch of the pedal makes it rev so it should be a lot better to drive. Was an easy job for anyone thinking of doing it - If I hadn't got stuck on the ball end then I reckon 20 minutes tops

I also fitted the cruise control, being a later model this just involves fitting the small interface and the cruise control stalk, all very simple and easy to do - again having no dash at all makes locating the wiring very easy, but it is nothing that couldn't also be done in 15 minutes by just removing the bottom trim. The only issue I had here was that I had been sent a control stalk from a different model BMW and so the connector was not the same as on the interface module. However a quick check with my cruise on the M proved that they are all the same wiring wise and apart from one wire they all match up for colour on the stalk end and interface end so I simply cut the connectors off and joined them together with crimps, simply connecting the matching coloured wires until I got to 2 remaining wires which have no opposite match so these go together.

Anyway, as mentioned above, I had managed to get Barry's trimmer to make me a set of extended leather pieces for the dash whilst he was having his made up so I started gluing these onto the dash components I had stripped down in the conservatory earlier - boy is this a pain PITA !! I started off like a rocket, doing the easiest piece - the airbag cover - first... Using B&Q heavy duty contact glue I pasted both sides as instructed and then put together and then carefully cut around the back of it to make triangles where needed to ensure the perfect fit - this piece took about 45 minutes tops and made me think there rest would be a breeze :head:

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Finally I put the back of the airbag lid back on and offered this piece up to the stripped back frame to ensure it still fit alright. The next thing to do was to get the scuffmaster out and change the colour of the leather to tanin red to match the rest of the interior as tanin red is no longer available in leather.

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Next I started on the dome that goes over the dials. Again this was pretty straight forward once I ensured I had the stitiching lined up perfectly with the edge of the dome, slowly but surely it went on and I used washing pegs to ensure it stayed in place whilst the glue set.

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Once it had set I noticed the pegs had left marks in the leather :head: Thankfully a little coaxing of the leather with the heat gun got rid of these marks and I continued to glue the rest of it together - it got a little tricky as you get to the bottom of the dome to stop the leather from bunching up etc but patience and plenty of pushing, rubbing, holding gluing and then doing the next few inch it eventually got done - again this then needed 6-7 coats of scuffmaster to turn it into the right colour

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The next item I tackled was the passenger console, this was a bit tricker due to the amount of cutting and gluing that is required, especially around the air vents etc but again, following Barry's advise I took my time and ensured the stitching was correct around the top curve of the console. I also used my centre console which had extended stitched hockey sticks attached to ensure that they lined up when they went back together. This is probably the piece that I am least happy with if I am being picky. Again before fitting it I gave it a good coating of scuffmaster as the process of pushing/pulling/stretching and gluing left the original leather a bit discoloured in places.

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Of course the issue now is that the airbag cover no longer fits with the additional thickness of leather so this had to be sanded back and cut in places to ensure it fits together.

Finally I started putting the drivers console together - this is without doubt the hardest piece, again start on the top of the console and ensure the stitching lines up, however the really tough part is the little holes for the headlight adjustment and fog lamp buttons as the leather had to be stretched and cut to fit into these holes. Again a coating of scuffmaster then restored the colour back to the original leather.

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Now with all the bits re-covered in leather with extended stitching I offered the dashboard together and carefully touched up any bits that were missed whilst also refitting the heater pipes underneath. One of the issues faced when putting it all back together is getting the dome back into the drivers console securely - BMW kindly melt studs together when they originally put the dash together which had to be dremmelled out when all the parts were being separated. In putting this back together I used a glue gun to create a melted joint across these plastic parts to ensure they were as stable as original.

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Altogether I reckon the gluing and work for the dash took around a week to complete, spending 30 mins here, 1 hour there and waiting for bits to dry etc. and then with a sunny day this weekend I was able to get the dash back into the car. I basically worked backwards through the instructions in the knowledge base and it took me 5-6 hours to get it right - cleaning each piece of trim that had been removed as I went along. I also got the old scuffmaster out again and gave the centre console a quick going over to get it back to its original glory:

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Then the school school armrest courtesy of Barry Southernboy went in - yep scuff mastered as well to make the colour match

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and then the same treatment given to both gaitors as they were looking tatty... You can see in the background some of the door arm rests (again from Barry) which will go in once I have refurbed the door cards.

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And now fitted with a new chrome style handbrake:

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Finally whilst putting the dash back in I finally got around to fitting the footwell lights that I had bought off littlefeller a while back - they look really good and makes me wonder why they weren't standard

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So... whats next? Well basically a few things, firstly I am going to remove the door cards tomorrow and refurbish them and clean behind them - essentially there is very little up with them but I figure a good clean, some trusted scuffmaster and a respray of the speaker grills and they will match the rest of the refurbed interior. Then I need to sort out the seats. As it stands I have 3 sets of seats that are / or could be associated with this car and once refurbed I will decided which ones go in. First of all I have the original ones which just need a little TLC, nothing major, just need a bit of scuffing on the drivers bolster sorting out and a respray - they will also have heating elements retro fitted to them and the broken seat belt guide on the passenger seat fixed.

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Secondly I have these red & black sports ones which need a bit more work on them, they are missing a couple of the switch covers and will need a lot of attention on the drivers bolster to fix the 3" hole that's in it. I have already booked the job lot of treatment stuff I need from furniture clinic:

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Finally I have this other set of sports seats and matching door cards which are current cream coloured. Essentially they are in good condition apart from being dirty so its my intention to clean them up an then respray them Tanin Red.

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Once all the seats are restored I will decided which of the sports versions to put in it but I need to get moving with one set as the mother-in-law gets re-married on the 19th July and they want to use this car as the wedding car so for ease I think I will work on the cream seats first so that it is ready in time.

As for the car itself wont be mine for much longer. The father-in-law-to-be has said he is going to buy it when I finish all the jobs on it which is good... having bought the M in February its about time I sold this one and it will be nice to have it remain in the family so I guess my tinkering days on it will continue. Anyway, thats probably enough for now. I will update more when I do the door cards and seats.


EDIT - 21/03/2016 : Further to someone looking to upgrade their door tweeter grills I have added the actual process I used for refurbishing mine, the grills them selves were rusty and tatty and felt that covers the speakers themselves was also shot. The process was simple really:

1. Door Cards & Remove Grills and pull apart
2. Sand down Grills and spray with suitable paint - I used Titanium Silver spray paint from Halfords to match the car.
3. Get girlfriends best black tights and cut them up
4. Get beer and a pin, sit in sunshine and slowly open up all the little holes in the grill that closed with when the paint dried - I reckon this took me longer than the rest of the speaker grill job put together !
5. Refit to car

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Last edited by bertiejaffa on Mon 21 Mar, 2016 16:39, edited 1 time in total.
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Southernboy
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by Southernboy »

...... Brilliant Lee... and well done with your persistence... I know how difficult and time consuming fitting the upholstery can be... :wink:
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

Southernboy wrote:...... Brilliant Lee... and well done with your persistence... I know how difficult and time consuming fitting the upholstery can be... :wink:
Cheers mate - I seriously couldn't have done it without your help. I know I am thinking about doing it to my M once I have sold the 2.0l but I must admit I don't think I would want to do many more. It does make a difference to the look of it though I must admit
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by Southernboy »

..... looks more like a "roadster" interior should look.... IMO.. :cheers
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by sirius-c »

Absolutely fantastic write up....thank you for sharing.

The dash looks the dogs ickies :bow
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

sirius-c wrote:Absolutely fantastic write up....thank you for sharing.

The dash looks the dogs ickies :bow
cheers mate - Ill try and post some up later of the stitching, it really finishes the dash off IMHO :cheers
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by sirius-c »

Like SouthernBoy said.....It looks like a Roadster Should :)


How did you find dying the handbrake gaitor?
I was contemplating how i would do this, it must of been a PITA? I was thinking of stuffing a cushion inside it to flatten it out

Could you post pics up when door cards have Barry's arm rests attached? I'm undecided whether to dye mine red or not
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

Cheers - when you do something like this its all imagination, even to the point of keeping the 3 screw caps at the windscreen edge of the dash black rather than red. Im having the same issue thinking about what to do with my M. I hate the interior estoril blue colour with a passion so it has to change. The question is whether I keep a coloured dash and dye it laguna seca to match the lighter blue of the seats or whether I use the black dash I have just taken out of this car and create blue consoles a bit like barry has with his extended leather and then blend it into the rest of the M colour coded centre console. Anyway, thats a conversation for a different car / thread.

As for this one, dying the gaitors wasn't to bad. Once you remove them, straighten them and turn them fully the right way out, you can put your hand inside them and dab them with the sponge as described. In total I reckon they have had 8-10 coats - the final one I used the roller for again - I literally just dabbed it everywhere with the sponge so there was a load of dye on the gaitor and then rolled the small roller over them. I do wonder if using a finishing agent like the one I'm going to use on my seats would make them better or not, I might try it when I refurbish the seats due to the fact I will have a spray gun full of the stuff and the gaitors are esay to remove - that's not to say there's anything wrong with the existing finish I have achieved, I would just like to see if they can be even better.

I'll post pictures of everything I do including the arm rests - I am sure some people think what I have done is beyond them but when I see people changing every engine part I think the same so its good to have a detailed explanation for everyone
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Captain
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by Captain »

Looks great, well worth the effort :wink:
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Southernboy
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by Southernboy »

What "finishing agent" are you planning to use on your seats???
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

Captain wrote:Looks great, well worth the effort :wink:
Thanks captain - great to get good feedback

Southernboy wrote:What "finishing agent" are you planning to use on your seats???
the one that comes with the furniture clinic kit - I have been in discussions with them this week for all the things I will need for these 6 seats and the 2 in my M when I get round to doing that up as well, they were really helpful and tailored the volumes etc to give me the most effective cost...

...and then of course there will be a large amount of e45
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by Southernboy »

Get some nipple cream.... far superior to E45... it has loads of lanolin in it which is about as fine an oil as one can get... It's what keeps sheep supple and waterproof... :D
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by Davejue1 »

Super write up Bertie, best do your M next to give me something else to read while sat on those loading bays getting bored! :)

Cheers
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bertiejaffa
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

Davejue1 wrote:Super write up Bertie, best do your M next to give me something else to read while sat on those loading bays getting bored! :)

Cheers
Dave
Cheers dave... nice to know I help pass the time - feel free to come and help :D

yep, the M will follow this one when this one is sold. I twitch everytime I get in the M and see those awful office carpets glued to the floor !!!
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by Davejue1 »

I'm actually up your way Sunday as I've got to go to Clithroe to help my brother rebuild his MG Midget suspension so I may be a little to busy to drop by. Maybe next time eh! :D
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bertiejaffa
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

I can bring it to Clitheroe - not a problem :D
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markhinton
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by markhinton »

Looks awesome, some serious work going in to it which I wouldn't want to consider doing myself, so fair play!

I was interested in the cream leather when it first came up for sale (broken from the Topaz blue 3.0?). If you decide not to colour them, I'd be interested in buying them off of you!
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

markhinton wrote:Looks awesome, some serious work going in to it which I wouldn't want to consider doing myself, so fair play!

I was interested in the cream leather when it first came up for sale (broken from the Topaz blue 3.0?). If you decide not to colour them, I'd be interested in buying them off of you!

Cheers Mark. Its odd isn't it, I am cautious about doing anything on the engines and brakes, yet people on here do that all the time. For some reason this kind of thing I dont mind attacking whereas other people are the other way round. If you fancied doing anything then I would be happy to advise, and Barry (and Gookah too) have been great given me advise.
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by Southernboy »

It used to be I would prefer to be doing the mecahnics etc... but now, if I can't have the use of a pit and air power tools and hydraulic jacks and a helper, I really don't want to do that anymore. But it's very satisfying to do some things oneself, and particularly when the results are better by a margin than feared.
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

Ok, so I havent been able to finish the seats yet but just thought I would post pictures of the car being used as the "getaway" car for the mother-in-laws wedding on Saturday...

...and yes that is the local police station in the background 8-)

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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by Southernboy »

That is really very nice Lee... well done and what a way for the "outlaws" to make a get-away... :cheers
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

:cheers
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woodybeefcake
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by woodybeefcake »

That is lovely!

I really doubt I will go into that much detail on mine but your work is impressive!!

I love those alloys too, any idea what they're called? My 16" standards MUST go!!
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

woodybeefcake wrote:That is lovely!

I really doubt I will go into that much detail on mine but your work is impressive!!

I love those alloys too, any idea what they're called? My 16" standards MUST go!!
Thanks - it has been a labour of love and I haven't had chance to do the seats as planned yet (something to do with having to work!!) If you did fancy it Southernboy and I can give a thorough explanation. There are also many upholsterers that would be able to make (and fit) the trimming. I am hopefully getting some made form my M shortly.

The wheels are BBS Style 42. I like these a lot myself I have to admit and would like a set on my M too. The 42 style and the 78 style are very similar and really set the cars off in my opinion. Someone was selling some nice 42s on here recently viewtopic.php?f=11&t=41732

Cheers Lee
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woodybeefcake
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by woodybeefcake »

So do you have a Z3M also?

I will start a thread on mine this evening or tomorrow morning! WIll be keeping an eye out for wheels, just mainly need to concentrate on getting it as mechanically sound as possible for now!

keep up the good work and keep the thread updated! 8-)
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

woodybeefcake wrote:So do you have a Z3M also?

I will start a thread on mine this evening or tomorrow morning! WIll be keeping an eye out for wheels, just mainly need to concentrate on getting it as mechanically sound as possible for now!

keep up the good work and keep the thread updated! 8-)
Cheers fella - I think there is a help clinic for Z addictions :lol: - yep, M will be started on over winter hopefully. The idea was to sell this 2.0l one but as I am currently working back on the south coast again I have (a least for now) a valid reason to keep it :wink:
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by woodybeefcake »

Keep it!!!

You know you should..
692DPG
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Location: Lancashire

Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by 692DPG »

Lee - great thread, I've just read it all and you've definitely got the Z infection!! Great work making your's stand out from the crowd - a real inspiration.

Keep it up :D
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

Just a little update - its been a while since I posted anything on this journal (due to having to spend time and money on the other cars this year) but with the MOT was due so there were a few little jobs that needed doing so I decided to get on with them while I was off over Christmas.

Firstly the battery had finally had enough and so a new one was ordered.

Next was the soft top seal - last year I had noticed a little bit of water in the battery well and located a small leak where the soft top is bolted to the frame of the car. At the time I treated it with some Captain Tollys Creeping Crack Cure (http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... ping+crack) and it solved the problem but I have always planned to make the seal permanent. Anyway, now was the time and it was pretty easy to be fair - remove the hard top and then the soft top bolts off. Having read a few horror stories of the condition of the bottom of the roof when people had tried to replace their roof seal I was not sure if this would result in a trip for a new roof, but thankfully the roof was still in good condition so I bought some butyl off ebay and replaced the seal all around then bolted the roof back on. All sealed perfectly with no leaks !! (forgot to take pictures but there are a few on the site already)

The next issue before the MOT was to replace a sticky rear caliper. It has always bothered me why the previous owner had odd coloured calipers at the rear and, so I followed in the footsteps of my //M refurb earlier in the year and decided to take the opportunity to treat the car to a proper makeover on the brakes. I had already replaced one front caliper last year but the other 3 had seen better days:

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So I bought a refurb set of seals, pistons, pins and paint from BIGGRED I set about rebuilding them all... First of all, a friend of mine took them away to be shot-blast first...

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and then I started to apply the paint, again I didn't take lots of pictures all the way through but you get the picture

Rear ones.
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One of the front ones.
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Once they were painted I fitted the new pistons and seals - if you have ever done this yourself you will understand the "fun" involved. The first one of them was rebuilt in around 5 minutes and I wondered what all the fuss was about.... Obviously I spoke too soon - 2.5 hours later the others finally had their seals and pistons in place !! :head: :head: :head:

Anyway, after lots of swearing, they were finally finished, all new moving parts and fitted to the car. Well worth the effort in the end:

Rear:
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Front:
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Off she went to for the MOT and returned same day, passed, no advisories :D

Obviously the next thing to do was take her out - here she is, in need of a wash, after a blast over the A57 to worksop - I think the brakes really stand out

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Sadly, I am probably going to have to sell her in the spring when the weather picks up - it will be a sad day but I hope to sell her to someone who will appreciate the changes and work that I have done.
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MpowerRob
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by MpowerRob »

Love the journal where do find the time to do all this stuff! Makes me feel like I'm neglecting mine :lol: do you know what lowering springs you've got as its sits really nice not too low looks just right. I've just bought Eibach lowering springs so I'm hoping your gone say you've got those.
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

MpowerRob wrote:Love the journal where do find the time to do all this stuff! Makes me feel like I'm neglecting mine :lol: do you know what lowering springs you've got as its sits really nice not too low looks just right. I've just bought Eibach lowering springs so I'm hoping your gone say you've got those.
Thanks - little bits and pieces every now and again and you will be surprised how much it can make a difference. As I said before in the journal, I envy the people that can do all the mechanical work but I have no problem with some of the other stuff that people wont touch - plus great guidance from the people on here.

I dont know what springs it sits on - was like this when I got her, however all the cars I have seen who have been lowered all seem to sit very similar and they are always using the Eibach springs so I think you will have gone the right way - looking forward to seeing your update :cheers
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

Another couple of little jobs done today - the first was shamelessly taken from someone else's journal page that I had been reading recently but I think it finishes the HK system off and would definitely be included if the Z3 was made today:

Image

Then it was time to replace the original aerial. I had ordered a grommet last year but never got round to fitting it, with a new aerial to fit I decided now was the perfect time. Despite still being water tight, the old grommet had see better days:

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Now... a little lesson for people out there when replacing the grommet. I used this thread http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8613 and it was very useful, however, when discussing how he pulled the grommet out he mentions the following - note the part in bold:

Once moved aside i was then able to grip the aerial. This wasn't too easy to move so thinking on my feet I found a suitably sized thread in my garage and screwed it into the thread on the top of the wing where the aerial mast would normally go. i was then able to exert some downward pressure with one hand whilst waggling the aerial base with the other -fantastic it came out a treat.

Following the instructions I pushed down - however I used my fat spud fingers rather than a make-shift thread.... :head:

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After 10 minutes of ringing the other half's mobile (that she handily left on silent!) she finally came out and, after laughing uncontrollably, finally listened and brought out some washing up liquid... 5 more minutes of painfully greasing my finger and twisting and pulling it finally came out !!

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Somewhat embarrassed at my own stupidity :oops: I replaced the grommet and installed the new aerial..

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deni2s
Joined: Mon 25 Mar, 2013 22:02
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by deni2s »

That's really funny :) Today I was checking the same place on the car - found out that the car is missing aerial base and aerial is not connected to the wire at all :( And I was wondering why reception was so poor.
bertiejaffa
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

deni2s wrote:That's really funny :)
I thought you might all enjoy that, Im sure it wont be the last time i get ribbed about it lol - however yes I can confirm that it works better when it is connected from one end to the other :lol:
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

Ok so my last updates for the old girl...

Firstly was some mudflaps a few weeks ago. I have followed the lead of Gookah and a few others and made use of the Halfords own mudflaps. They fit really well once you have cut down the mudflap to the smaller inner size which only took 5 minutes with the dremmel and then another 5 minutes to fit. Looks very smart I think and they look totally OEM.

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After that the car has been into the garage for a little bit of work, unfortunately I don't have pictures as it was not me that did it but the first thing to sort out was the recurring ABS lights which had come back on again. In all fairness they had been on and off all the while I have had the Zed and in the back of my mind I've always suspected it was the common ABS module issue, however as they had not been on for a while I was hoping it was just dirt caused by my handbrake sticking a little bit.

Anyway, the handbrake was fixed and the ABS sensor was cleaned but the lights remained so the sensor was swapped for a fresh one but still the lights wouldn't go out. So with a combination of this and a read of the fault codes it was off with the ABS module and it was sent to BBA-REMAN who confirmed the module was faulty but thankfully could be repaired. A few days later it was back on the car and all the lights are out - many thanks to AlanW for the recommendation. Much cheaper than ECU Testing and a great service.

Whilst the car was resting up at my garage I also got them to sort out a bit of rust at the top of the A pillar which was starting to get a little unsightly - great job again and looks like new!!

Anyway, the eagle eyed of you will have noticed that I started this thread saying "My Last Updates", rather than "My Latest.." and thats because tomorrow is going to be a sad day... I will be taking her for one final drive as she makes her way up to cumbria on her way to a new owner and the start of what I hope will be the next chapter of many happy memories for her and her new owner.

To be honest it has all happened a bit quick and I'll admit that if it was solely down to me then I would have probably kept finding reasons why she wasn't quite ready to sell, or why I should wait another month etc... so thanks have to go to Gill (seasurfer) for badgering me constantly for information about the car because she knew someone who was keen to get the Z3 bug... I'm sure he will be on here shortly so make sure you give him a big welcome and you never know you might see him and the old girl on the lakes cruise.

I can honestly say that there hasn't been a single day in the last 4 years when I have not enjoyed owning this great little car.

Thanks for the smiles and the memories :bawl:
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spurs fan in a coupe
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by spurs fan in a coupe »

I hope you cleaned her first, looked a bit grubby in those pics! :lol:
we expres: " He did hear the bells ringing, but doesnt know where where the clapper hangs".
bertiejaffa
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by bertiejaffa »

spurs fan in a coupe wrote:I hope you cleaned her first, looked a bit grubby in those pics! :lol:
You know my rules on POLISH :D
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Re: Bert's Journal - 1999 2.0l facelift

Post by gookah »

bertiejaffa wrote:
spurs fan in a coupe wrote:I hope you cleaned her first, looked a bit grubby in those pics! :lol:
You know my rules on POLISH :D

a bit racist..... :D
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I have an element of 'M-styling' on my car, If that's a good enough reason for the manufacturers to adorn a 320 with the M badge, then its certainly a good enough reason for me..
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